Composite polymer electrolyte reinforced by graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets for room-temperature all-solid-state lithium batteries

By virtue of the flexibility and safety, polyethylene oxide(PEO) based electrolytes are regarded as an appealing candidate for all-solid-state lithium batteries. However, their application is limited by the poor ionic conductivity at room temperature, narrow electrochemical stability window and uncontrolled growth of lithium dendrite. To alleviate these problems, we introduce the ultrathin graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets(GCN) as advanced nanofillers into PEO based electrolytes(GCN-CPE). Benefiting from the high surface area and abundant surface N-active sites of GCN, the GCN-CPE displays decreased crystallinity and enhanced ionic conductivity. Meanwhile, Fourier transform infrared and chronoamperometry studies indicate that GCN can facilitate Li+migration in the composite electrolyte. Additionally, the GCN-CPE displays an extended electrochemical window compared with PEO based electrolytes. As a result, Li symmetric battery assembled with GCN-CPE shows a stable Li plating/stripping cycling performance, and the all-solid-state Li/LiNi_(0.6)Co_(0.2)Mn_(0.2)O_(2)(NCM622) batteries using GCN-CPE exhibit satisfactory cyclability and rate capability in a voltage range of 3-4.2 V at 30 ℃.

NaH doped TiO_(2)as a high-performance catalyst for Mg/MgH_(2)cycling stability and room temperature absorption

This paper presents the catalytic effect of NaH doped nanocrystalline TiO_(2)(designated as NaTiOxH)in the improvement of MgH_(2)hydrogen storage properties.The catalyst preparation involves ball milling NaH with TiO_(2)for 3 hr.The addition of 5 wt%NaTiOxH powder into MgH_(2)reduces its operating temperature to∼185℃,which is∼110℃lower than the additive-free as-milled MgH_(2).The composite remarkably desorbs∼7.2 wt%H_(2)within 15 min at∼290℃and reabsorbs∼4.5 wt%H_(2)in 45 min at room temperature under 50 bar H_(2).MgH_(2)dehydrogenation is activated at 57 kJ/mol by the catalyst.More importantly,the addition of 2.5 wt%NaTiOxH catalyst aids MgH_(2)to reversibly produce∼6.1 wt%H_(2)upon 100 cycles within 475 hr at 300℃.Microstructural investigation into the catalyzed MgH_(2)composite reveals a firm contact existing between NaTiOxH and MgH_(2)particles.Meanwhile,the NaTiOxH catalyst consists of catalytically active Ti_(3)O_(5),and“rod-like”Na_(2)Ti_(3)O_(7)species liberated in-situ during preparation;these active species could provide multiple hydrogen diffusion pathways for an improved MgH_(2)sorption process.Furthermore,the elemental characterization identifies the reduced valence states of titanium(Ti<4+)which show some sort of reversibility consistent with H_(2)insertion and removal.This phenomenon is believed to enhance the mobility of Mg/MgH_(2)electrons by the creation and elimination of oxygen vacancies in the defective(TiO_(2-x))catalyst.Our findings have therefore moved MgH_(2)closer to practical applications.

Room temperature quantum anomalous Hall insulator in honeycomb lattice, RuCS_(3), with large magnetic anisotropy energy

The quantum anomalous Hall(QAH) effect has attracted enormous attention since it can induce topologically protected conducting edge states in an intrinsic insulating material. For practical quantum applications, the main obstacle is the non-existent room temperature QAH systems, especially with both large topological band gap and robust ferromagnetic order. Here, according to first-principles calculations, we predict the realization of the room temperature QAH effect in a two-dimensional(2D) honeycomb lattice, RuCS_(3) with a non-zero Chern number of C = 1. Especially, the nontrivial topology band gap reaches up to 336 me V for RuCS_(3). Moreover, we find that RuCS_(3) has a large magnetic anisotropy energy(2.065 me V) and high Curie temperature(696 K). We further find that the non-trivial topological properties are robust against the biaxial strain. The robust topological and magnetic properties make RuCS_(3) have great applications in room temperature spintronics and nanoelectronics.

Environmentally Friendly Room Temperature Synthesis of 1-Tetralone over Layered Double Hydroxide-Hosted Sulphonato-Salen-Nickel(II) Complex

1-Tetralone, a useful synthetic intermediate in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and dyes, can be prepared by liquid phase catalytic oxidation of tetralin. Selective oxidation of tetralin to 1-tetralone is still a big challenge with low-temperature processes using environmentally friendly routes even after decades of research. Herein, we demonstrate room-temperature oxidation of tetralin to 1-tetralone over layered double hydroxide-hosted sulphonato-salen-nickel(II) complex, LDH-[Ni-salen]. The layered double hydroxide-hosted sulphonato-salen-nickel(II) compound was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and elemental analysis. The theoretical calculations of free sulphonato-salen-nickel(II) complex using Density Functional Theory/CAM-B3LYP at the 6-311++ G(d,p) level of theory were also used to determine the orientation of the Ni-salen compound within the layered structure. The immobilized compound, LDH-[Ni-salen] was found to be an effective reusable catalyst for the oxidation of tetralin to 1-tetralone using a combination of trimethylacetaldehyde and molecular oxygen (14.5 psi) and at 25&deg;C. At 45.5% conversion, tetralin was converted to 1-tetralone with 77.2% selectivity at room temperature and atmospheric pressure after 24 h. The catalyst recycles test and hot filtration experiment showed that oxidation proceeded through Ni(II) sites in LDH-[Ni-salen]. The catalysts were reused several times without losing their catalytic activity and selectivity. The present results may provide a convenient strategy for the preparation of 1-tetralone using layered double hydroxide-based heterogeneous catalyst at ambient temperature for industrial application in near future.

Loading uniform Ag_(3)PO_(4)nanoparticles on three-dimensional peony-like WO_(3)for good stability and excellent selectivity towards NH_(3)at room temperature

A heterojunction structure design is a very good method for improving the properties of semiconductors in many research fields.This method is employed in the present study to promote the gas-sensing performance of Ag_(3)PO_(4)nanocomposites at room temperature(25℃).A nanocomposite of Ag_(3)PO_(4)nanoparticles and three-dimensional peony-like WO_(3)(WO_(3)/Ag_(3)PO_(4))was successfully prepared by the precipitation method.The crystalline phases were analyzed by xray diffraction and the microstructure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.The chemical bonding states were analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The gas-sensing performance of WO_(3)/Ag_(3)PO_(4)sensors was systematically explored at room temperature.The composite sensors possessed a higher response and lower detection limit(1 ppm)to NH_(3)than those made of a single type of material;this is ascribed to the synergistic effect achieved by the heterojunction structure.Among the different composite sensors tested,gas sensor A5W5(Ag_(3)PO_(4):WO3mass ratio of 5:5)displayed the highest response to NH_(3)at room temperature.Interestingly,the A5W5 gas sensor exhibited relatively good stability and excellent selectivity to NH_(3).The A5W5 sensor also displayed a relatively good response under high humidity.The gas-sensing mechanism of the WO_(3)/Ag_(3)PO_(4)sensors is explained in detail.Taken together,the as-prepared sensor is highly efficient at detecting NH_(3)and could be suitable for practical applications.In addition,this study also provides a new method for developing Ag_(3)PO_(4)-based sensors in the gas-sensing field.

Oxidative Desulfurization of Fuel Oil at Room Temperature Catalyzed by Ordered Meso-macroporous HPW/SiO2

A serial of ordered meso-macroporous phosphotungstic acid(HPW) supported on SiO2 nanocomposites were successfully prepared by a homogeneous precipitation method, using monodispersed polystyrene(PS) microspheres and cationic surfactant as structure directing agent. These nanocomposites were used as catalysts for oxidative desulfurization(ODS) of model fuel. The materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), N2 adsorption-desorption isothrem, X-ray diffraction(XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectra(FTIR). The characterization results suggested that the as-prepared material possessed ordered meso-macroporous architectures with Keggin type phosphotungstic acid dispersed homogeneously in SiO2 matrix. Under the selected reaction conditions, dibenzothiophene(DBT) in model fuel can be removed within 2 h at room temperature(30 ℃). In addition, only 1.2% of efficiency lose than the fresh catalyst even after 5 cycles.

Preparation of nano-sized cerium and titanium pyrophosphates via solid-state reaction at room temperature

Nano-sized cerium-titanium pyrophosphates Ce1-xTixP2O7 （with x = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, and 1.0） were obtained by grinding a mixture of Ce（SO4）2·4H2O, Ti（SO4）2, and Na4P2O7·10H2O in the presence of surfactant PEG-400 at room temperature, washing the mixture with water to remove soluble inorganic salts, and drying at 100℃. The products and their calcined samples were characterized using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy （UV-vis）, thermogravimetry and differential thermal analyses （TG/DTA）, X-ray powder diffraction （XRD）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results show that nano-sized Ce1-xTixP2O7 behave as an excellent UV-shielding material. Thereinto, the CeP2O7 has the most excellent UV-shielding effect, and the amorphous state of Ce0.8Ti0.2P2O7 can keep at a higher temperature than CeP2O7. Therefore, the stabilization of the amorphous state of the cerium pyrophosphates was carded out by doping titanium. This stabilization is a significant improvement, which enables to apply these amorphous pyrophosphates not only to cosmetics and paints, but also plastics and films.

Development of permanent magnetic refrigerator at room temperature

A reciprocating magnetic refrigerator was developed based on the active magnetic regeneration technology. Rare earth metal Gd and intermetallic compound LaFe11.2Co0.7Si1.1 were used as the magnetic operating materials in the machine. The particles of the magnetic operating materials, with diameter of 0.5-2 mm and total mass of 950 g, were mounted in the cooling bed. A magnetic field was assembled using NdFeB rare earth permanent magnets. It had the magnetic field space of Φ 34×200 and the magnetic induction of 1.5 T. The water at pH=10 is used as a heat transfer fluid. When the ambient temperature is 296 K, a temperature span of 18 K was achieved after operation of 45 min at a frequency of 0.178 Hz. The temperature span and the output power increase significantly with the increasing velocity of heat transfer.

Synthesis and characterization of CePO_4 nanowires via microemulsion method at room temperature

Uniform CeVO4 nanowires with diameter of about 25 nm were synthesized by the water-in-oil microemulsion method at room temperature from cerous chloride, sodium orthophosphate, sodium chloride, cyclohexane, Triton X-100 and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide （CTAB）. The crystal structure and morphology of the nanowires were characterized by XRD and TEM, respectively. The UV-vis absorption was detected by UV-vis spectrophotometer techniques. The results showed that as-prepared nanowires with the hexagonal phase have obvious quantum confinement effect and semiconductor characteristics. Little sodium chloride could play a positive role on the formation of CePO4 nanowires at room temperature. The size of the nanowires can be controlled through the joining of sodium chloride. C 2009 Yi Bin Yin. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.

Preparing Nano-ZnS by Solid State Reaction at Room Temperature

ZnS nanoparticles were prepared by using solid-state reaction method at room temperature in agate mortar for the first time. The average particle size was about 20nm. This reaction is affected by the structure of reactant, crystal water and defects.

Room-Temperature Gas Sensors Under Photoactivation:From Metal Oxides to 2D Materials

Room-temperature gas sensors have aroused great attention in current gas sensor technology because of deemed demand of cheap,low power consumption and portable sensors for rapidly growing Internet of things applications.As an important approach,light illumination has been exploited for room-temperature operation with improving gas sensor's attributes including sensitivity,speed and selectivity.This review provides an overview of the utilization of photoactivated nanomaterials in gas sensing field.First,recent advances in gas sensing of some exciting different nanostructures and hybrids of metal oxide semiconductors under light illumination are highlighted.Later,excellent gas sensing performance of emerging two-dimensional materialsbased sensors under light illumination is discussed in details with proposed gas sensing mechanism.Originated impressive features from the interaction of photons with sensing materials are elucidated in the context of modulating sensing characteristics.Finally,the review concludes with key and constructive insights into current and future perspectives in the light-activated nanomaterials for optoelectronic gas sensor applications.

Improvement of strength and ductility synergy in a room-temperature stretch-formable Mg-Al-Mn alloy sheet by twin-roll casting and low-temperature annealing

Strength and ductility synergy in an Mg-3mass%Al-Mn(AM30)alloy sheet was successfully improved via twin-roll casting and annealing at low-temperature.An AM30 alloy sheet produced by twin-roll casting,homogenization,hot-rolling,and subsequent annealing at 170℃ for 64 h exhibits a good 0.2%proof stress of 170 MPa and a large elongation to failure of 33.1%along the rolling direction.The sheet also shows in-plane isotropic tensile properties,and the 0.2%proof stress and elongation to failure along the transverse direction are 176 MPa and 35.5%,respectively.Though the sheet produced by direct-chill casting also shows moderate strengths if the annealing condition is same,the direct-chill casting leads to the deteriorated elongation to failure of 23.9%and 30.0%for the rolling and transverse directions,respectively.As well as such excellent tensile properties,a high room-temperature stretch formability with an Index Erichsen value of 8.3 mm could be obtained in the twin-roll cast sheet annealed at 170℃ for 64 h.The annealing at a higher temperature further improves the stretch formability;however,this results in the decrease of the tensile properties.Microstructure characterization reveals that the excellent combination of strengths,ductility,and stretch formability in the twin-roll cast sheet annealed at the low-temperature annealing is mainly attributed to the uniform recrystallized microstructure,fine grain size,and circular distribution of(0001)poles away from the normal direction of the sheet.

Dissolution of Konjac Glucomannan with Room Temperature Ionic Liquids

Two kinds of new room temperature ionic liquids （RTILs）, 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride （AMIMCl） and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride （BMIMCl）, were synthesized and used for the dissolution of konjac glucomannan （KGM）. The experimental results showed that the solubility of KGM in AMIMCl was better than that in BMIMCl. Regenerated KGM were obtained by adding anhydrous alcohol to the KGM / ionic liquids solutions. Solubility, molecular weight, structure, and thermal property of the regenerated KGM were investigated by polarized optical microscopy （POM）, viscosimetry, infrared spectroscopy （IR）, X-ray diffraction technique （XRD）, thermogravimetry （TG） and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）. It was demonstrated that the viscosity-averaged molecular weight of the KGM samples decreased after regeneration because of the molecular degradation of KGM. Results from IR and XRD indicated that the chemical structure and the crystalline form of regenerated KGM were not changed. Results from TG and DSC showed that the thermal stability of the regenerated KGM samples only slightly decreased. These results suggest that AMIMCl and BMIMCl are direct and effective solvents for KGM.

Greener approach towards the facile synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyrano[2,3-c]pyrazol-5-y1 cyanide derivatives at room temperature

This report describes triethylammonium acetate （TEAA） ionic liquid catalyzed one pot synthesis of 6-amino-4-aryl-5-cyano-3- methyl-1-phenyl-1,4-dihydropyrano [2,3-c]pyrazoles by the reaction of aromatic aldehyde, malononitrile and 3-methyl-1-phenyl-2- pyrazolin-5-one at room temperature. TEAA plays dual role as reaction media and catalyst. It can also be easily recovered and reused in several runs. TEAA provides greener reaction protocol to present methodology which obviates the need of organic solvents, expensive and toxic catalyst.

Substitution Reactions by Azide and Thiocyanide Anions in Room Temperature Ionic Liquids

Conducted in the ionic liquids, activated and inactivated halides, acyl chlorides, tosylate, and bezotriazolyl acylates were converted to corresponding azide and thiocyanide compounds in high yields under mild conditions.

Enhancement of room-temperature magnetoresistance in La_(0.6)Dy_(0.1)Sr_(0.3)MnO_3/Ag_x

The samples of La0.6Dy0.1Sr0.3MnO3/（Ag2O）x/2（x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.10, 0.20, 0.25, and 0.30） were prepared by using the solid-state reaction method.Their magnetic property, transport behavior, transport mechanism and magnetoresistance effect were studied through the measurements of magnetization-temperature（M-T） curves, ρ-T curves and the fitting of ρ-T curves.The results indicated that Ag could take part in the reaction when the doping amount is small.However, when the doping amount is comparatively large, Ag as metallic state mainly deposits on the grain boundary of La0.6Dy0.1Sr0.3MnO3, and then the system forms a two-phase composite.When the Ag doping amount is 30% mole ratio, the resistivity of the sample is one order of magnitude smaller than that of low doped samples, and its peak of magnetoresistance at 292 K and in the magnetic field of 0.2 T strengthens apparently and reaches 16.3%, which is over 7 times as large as 2.2% of La0.6Dy0.1Sr0.3MnO3.The two-phase composite system of magnetoresistance based on perovskite manganite consists of two parts：intrinsic magnetoresistance and extrinsic magnetoresistance.However, extrinsic magnetoresistance comes from spin-dependent scattering（SDS） and spin-polarized tunneling（SPT）.Magnetoresistance near TC increases due to the contribution of intrinsic magnetoresistance and extrinsic magnetoresistance formed by SDS, and magnetoresistance at low temperature is extrinsic magnetoresistance formed by SPT.

TOUGHENING OF IN SITU SYNTHESIZED MoSi_2-SiC COMPOSITE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

The in situ synthesized MoSi2-SiC composite is proved to be of higher fracture toughness than the monolithic MoSi2. The TEM and HREM study reveals that the interface between MoSi2/SiC is of direct atomic bonding without any amorphous glassy phase, such the SiO2 structure. Based on the fractography and the observation of crack propagation path from indentation, it is concluded that the toughening of such composite at room temperature can be attributed to the high interfacial binding energy, the refinement of the MoSi2 matrix and the deflection and bridging behavior in the crack propagation.

MoS2 Nanosheets Sensitized with Quantum Dots for Room-Temperature Gas Sensors

The Internet of things for environment monitoring requires high performance with low power-consumption gas sensors which could be easily integrated into large-scale sensor network.While semiconductor gas sensors have many advantages such as excellent sensitivity and low cost,their application is limited by their high operating temperature.Two-dimensional(2D)layered materials,typically molybdenum disulfide(MoS2)nanosheets,are emerging as promising gas-sensing materials candidates owing to their abundant edge sites and high in-plane carrier mobility.This work aims to overcome the sluggish and weak response as well as incomplete recovery of MoS2 gas sensors at room temperature by sensitizing MoS2 nanosheets with PbS quantum dots(QDs).The huge amount of surface dangling bonds of QDs enables them to be ideal receptors for gas molecules.The sensitized MoS2 gas sensor exhibited fast and recoverable response when operated at room temperature,and the limit of NO2 detection was estimated to be 94 ppb.The strategy of sensitizing 2D nanosheets with sensitive QD receptors may enhance receptor and transducer functions as well as the utility factor that determine the sensor performance,offering a powerful new degree of freedom to the surface and interface engineering of semiconductor gas sensors.

Berlin Green Framework‑Based Gas Sensor for Room‑Temperature and High‑Selectivity Detection of Ammonia

Ammonia detection possesses great potential in atmosphere environmental protection,agriculture,industry,and rapid medical diagnosis.However,it still remains a great challenge to balance the sensitivity,selectivity,working temperature,and response/recovery speed.In this work,Berlin green(BG)framework is demonstrated as a highly promising sensing material for ammonia detection by both density functional theory simulation and experimental gas sensing investigation.Vacancy in BG framework offers abundant active sites for ammonia absorption,and the absorbed ammonia transfers sufficient electron to BG,arousing remarkable enhancement of resistance.Pristine BG framework shows remarkable response to ammonia at 50–110°C with the highest response at 80°C,which is jointly influenced by ammonia’s absorption onto BG surface and insertion into BG lattice.The sensing performance of BG can hardly be achieved at room temperature due to its high resistance.Introduction of conductive Ti3CN MXene overcomes the high resistance of pure BG framework,and the simply prepared BG/Ti3CN mixture shows high selectivity to ammonia at room temperature with satisfying response/recovery speed.

First-principles investigation of the significant anisotropy and ultrahigh thermoelectric efficiency of a novel two-dimensional Ga_(2)I_(2)S_(2) at room temperature

Two-dimensional(2D)thermoelectric(TE)materials have been widely developed;however,some 2D materials exhibit isotropic phonon,electron transport properties,and poor TE performance,which limit their application scope.Thus,exploring excellent anisotropic and ultrahigh-performance TE materials are very warranted.Herein,we first investigate the phonon thermal and TE properties of a novel 2D-connectivity ternary compound named Ga2I2S2.This paper comprehensively studies the phonon dispersion,phonon anharmonicity,lattice thermal conductivity,electronic structure,carrier mobility,Seebeck coefficient,electrical conductivity,and the dimensionless figure of merit(ZT)versus carrier concentration for 2D Ga_(2)I_(2)S_(2).We conclude that the in-plane lattice thermal conductivities of Ga_(2)I_(2)S_(2) at room temperature(300 K)are found to be 1.55 W mK^(−1) in the X-axis direction(xx-direction)and 3.82 W mK^(−1)in the Y-axis direction(yy-direction),which means its anisotropy ratio reaches 1.46.Simultaneously,the TE performance of p-type and n-type doping 2D Ga2I2S2 also shows significant anisotropy,giving rise to the ZT peak values of p-type doping in xx-and yy-directions being 0.81 and 1.99,respectively,and those of n-type doping reach ultrahigh values of 7.12 and 2.89 at 300 K,which are obviously higher than the reported values for p-type and n-type doping ternary compound Sn2BiX(ZT∼1.70 and∼2.45 at 300 K)(2020 Nano Energy 67104283).This work demonstrates that 2D Ga_(2)I_(2)S_(2) has high anisotropic TE conversion efficiency and can also be used as a new potential room-temperature TE material.